08/08/2026
ROOTS & REELS FILM FESTIVAL: WHAT A WEEKEND!
We want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible filmmakers and films that made the Roots & Reels Film Festival so special.
Congratulations to all of our award winners and finalists! Your creativity, passion, and willingness to share your stories with us is exactly why independent film matters.
But this festival was about so much more than the awards.
To every filmmaker who traveled to Hayward, shared their work, sat in our theater, talked with audiences, cheered on other filmmakers, and became part of our little film community, thank you.
And to everyone from Hayward and the surrounding Northwoods who came out to watch films, meet filmmakers, support the festival, and tell us that you want to see this continue, we heard you.
Your support and encouragement have given us even more motivation to keep bringing independent film, unique voices, and filmmakers from near and far to Hayward, Wisconsin. While we may not have had the biggest crowd this year, we were deeply encouraged by the filmmakers who fell in love with Hayward and truly believe in what this festival stands for.
Roots & Reels was just the beginning.
We believe Hayward deserves a place where independent filmmakers can bring their stories, where audiences can discover something new, and where a community can come together through the love of film.
Thank you for believing in Roots & Reels. Thank you for supporting independent film. And thank you for helping us build something worth continuing.
Here’s to the filmmakers, the films, the audiences, and the community that made it all possible.
We’ll see you at the movies.
